Fry cook vs sous chef

The differences between fry cooks and sous chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a fry cook, becoming a sous chef takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a sous chef has an average salary of $48,716, which is higher than the $30,622 average annual salary of a fry cook.

The top three skills for a fry cook include kitchen equipment, customer service and safety standards. The most important skills for a sous chef are culinary, food handling, and food preparation.

Fry cook vs sous chef overview

	Fry Cook	Sous Chef
Yearly salary	$30,622	$48,716
Hourly rate	$14.72	$23.42
Growth rate	16%	15%
Number of jobs	246,323	22,393
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 53%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	38	42
Years of experience	4	6

What does a fry cook do?

Generally, a fry cook works in a kitchen specializing in fried foods and operating the deep fryer. Fry cooks or chefs cook food by submerging in boiling oil. They prepare food to be fried, work with frying pans, and watch over deep fryers. The skills they need to establish include food preparation, dexterity, physical stamina, and comprehension. They are also expected to be understanding and patient, noting that these qualities help impress the customers.

What does a sous chef do?

A sous chef is responsible for directing food preparation and general kitchen tasks with the supervision of an executive chef. A sous chef duties also include customizing healthy menus, maintaining quality check for foods, adhering to the highest sanitation procedures and standards, monitoring food and equipment supplies, suggesting new specialties, assisting customer's inquiries, and managing client's complaints. A sous chef must have excellent communication and decision-making skills, as well as updated with the current food trends to provide the best services for the customers.

Fry cook vs sous chef salary

Fry cooks and sous chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fry Cook	Sous Chef
Average salary	$30,622	$48,716
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $33,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Fresno, CA	Atlantic City, NJ
Highest paying state	Washington	Hawaii
Best paying company	Anthony	RH
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Government

Differences between fry cook and sous chef education

There are a few differences between a fry cook and a sous chef in terms of educational background:

	Fry Cook	Sous Chef
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 53%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	Drexel University

Fry cook vs sous chef demographics

Here are the differences between fry cooks' and sous chefs' demographics:

	Fry Cook	Sous Chef
Average age	38	42
Gender ratio	Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2%	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 11.3% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	9%

Differences between fry cook and sous chef duties and responsibilities

Fry cook example responsibilities.

Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Grill burgers and used the deep fryers for various foods, clean all equipment at the end of the shift.
Bread and cook chicken, fry foods, run and clean fryers, clean coolers, do dishes general utilities.
Job responsibilities include preparing and executing dishes, as well as assuming responsibility for cleanliness of restaurant.
Provide friendly, quality, customer service to each Chipotle customer.

Sous chef example responsibilities.

Manage FOH duties, along with customer relations.
Train, mentore, manage and discipline lead chefs, associate chefs, prep cooks, pastry assistants and dishwashers.
Manage a staff of 45 union personnel in preparation of meals for hospital patients and cafeteria patrons for three meals daily.
Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
Manage people and oversee production of high-volume establishment for this upscale restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine.
Train and manage all culinary personnel, supervise and coordinate all culinary activities, estimate food consumption and manage food cost.

Fry cook vs sous chef skills

Common fry cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 23%
Customer Service, 11%
Safety Standards, 10%
Deep-Fat Fryers, 9%
Food Products, 5%
Fine Dining, 5%

Common sous chef skills

Culinary, 15%
Food Handling, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Service, 5%

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Fry Cook vs Sous Chef

Updated January 8, 2025

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